Prompt: Voice

Just a heads up, the song Lucy is singing is by Caroline Pennell, not me.

One thing Natsu found interesting about the night was how quiet things could be. The world slept, so there was not much left to make a sound, to begin with. Natsu always fidgeted when it was quiet. He didn't know if he enjoyed it or loathed it. He had always been the loud type, he supposed. But, honestly, who could blame him? He just grew up that way. People knew Fairy Tail as loud and destructive. They were the loudest bunch of people in all of Fiore. If people were allowed to give out noise complaints, they would be getting them by the thousands.

He knew Lucy loved it, the quiet nights, that is. She said that it "makes for the perfect time to take a deep breath and just feel at peace." He had even seen her do this a couple times himself. He had to admit, she really did look at peace when she did that. Her eyes would be closed, her shoulders relaxed, and the slightest trace of a smile could be seen splayed across her lips.

Okay, fine, maybe the quiet night could be enjoyable, but it didn't make him any less bored. He couldn't do anything just because—what, people were sleeping? It couldn't be that late, could it? Happy stayed over at Wendy's place that night, trying to spend quality time with Carla again (something he did at least once a week), so he couldn't hang out with him…

Then why not Lucy? She was bound to still be awake. He remembered her telling Levy how she always stayed up real late to do some writing. He didn't get that either of course since the next day she would be complaining about being tired. There couldn't be anything wrong with taking a small break to entertain her dear friend, right?

Sighing long and loud, Natsu got up from his couch. "Alright!" Natsu exclaimed. "Off to Lucy's house!"

As Natsu began scaling the building up to her window, he could hear the water running, the smell of her cherry blossom and apple shampoo assaulting his nose. Of course. She's showering… he thought.

He grinned mischievously as an idea struck his mind. Boy was she in for a rude awakening when she got out of her bathroom. He could just see her face already.

People tended to assume that Natsu didn't care or pay attention to how Lucy would feel because of his actions. The truth was, he just really liked to annoy her. He thought it was because of how her face looked before she got angry. Her nose would scrunch up, and her brows would furrow as she tried to keep her calm. Sometimes, he thought that her face would turn red from how long she held her breath. He found it hilarious! If she didn't react the way she did all the time, he probably wouldn't mess around with her at all—it's a good thing she always reacted that way.

Natsu didn't try bothering her all the time. He knew she had her limits too, and he doubted she would enjoy being angry on days where she cried her eyes out. It was easy for him to tell these moments apart because of his heightened senses. Those were the perks of being a dragon slayer. The smell of salty tears would linger on her blanket and pillow for quite a while, and even then, he could always hear her sniffles before he went into her apartment. On those days, he would wait outside until he knew she had wiped all her tears away and the sniffles disappeared.

He would go up to her and give her a random hug, pretending that it was "just because" when, in reality, it was to comfort her. Then he would try and do something that would make her laugh, even if it meant tripping on his own two feet. He cared for Lucy with a passion, and he knew she cared for him just the same; he would go to the ends of the earth and back again for her.

Natsu opened her window and swiftly jumped on her bed. Hmmm, how should I surprise her? He sat criss-cross on her bed. Like this? No…

He tiptoed to the wall beside her bathroom. Maybe I can scare her… He grinned evilly.

His eyes widened. I've got it! Sneaking to her bed, he crawled under her covers. I'll just pretend that I'm asleep. He cackled to himself.

He laid down flat on his back, the mischievous glint in his eyes still there. When his ears picked up on a sound coming from her bathroom, that mischievous glint turned into one of curiosity. Was Lucy...singing? No...she couldn't be. Lucy never sings in the shower. Unless… Natsu tried listening closer, her voice becoming clearer.

"Follow...follow the sun. And which way the wind blows...when this day is done."

She really was singing, he realized. He hadn't heard her sing before, even with how much time he spent in her apartment. Her voice mesmerized him. He sighed as he kept listening.

"Tomorrow's a new day for everyone...A brand new moon and a brand new sun."

He felt his eyelids drooping to her soft voice. Hearing her voice like this, rather than its usual loudness...he couldn't help but smile a little. He could get used to this.

"And breathe...breathe in the air. Cherish this moment, cherish this breath."

A quiet yawn fell from his lips, grogginess creeping up on him even more. His plans to annoy Lucy were far from his mind at this point. Sleep pulled at him, coaxing him to lose consciousness, but he wanted to listen to Lucy finish singing the song.

But as her humming filled his ears, he wondered if she would sing to him every night from then on because he couldn't get enough of her voice.

That was his last thought before he succumbed to sleep, snoring almost silently as he mumbled the name of the blonde mage in his sleep.

As she continued to hum, she exited out of the bathroom.

Singing in the shower was uncommon for Lucy, normally veering towards letting her thoughts wander to the events of the day or new writing ideas, but when she heard a mother in Magnolia singing her baby to sleep, her thoughts drifted to her own mother.

That song used to be the highlight of her day. Her mother always sang it to her before she went to bed. Even on stormy nights when the thunder and lightning were relentless, the song would help soothe her. Looking back at the song, she had a feeling it had more to do with living in the moment and day to day rather than hope. As a young girl, she felt like it told her that there would always be time for things the next day. It gave her hope that things would get better, especially during those lonely nights in the mansion after her mother died. Who knows, maybe it meant both.

Lucy didn't notice Natsu until she was just about to jump into bed.

Her first reaction was to scream and shout at him, maybe give him a Lucy Kick to the gut for good measure. He shouldn't be sleeping in her bed—he shouldn't have been breaking into her house at all! When she saw that he was passed out dead, though, she reconsidered what she would do.

He looked calm beyond belief with his eyes closed and lips slightly parted. Lucy was so used to seeing his unruly and energetic personality just shine, that she forgot he needed rest as much as anyone else did. Fires couldn't be his only source of energy forever.

While lost in thought, she couldn't help but wonder if the quiet that engulfed her apartment was just a dream. Even when Natsu slept in her home, Happy would be there too, mumbling in his sleep about fish. She would certainly not waste this moment.

Sighing in content, she closed her eyes. Mmm, quiet…

She supposed...she supposed she could let Natsu off the hook for sneaking into her apartment but just for tonight. He didn't need to get used to her being okay with him sleeping in her bed, no matter how much she enjoyed how warm he could be in the winter.

Sighing again, she crawled into bed as she gently moved Natsu a little closer to the wall. And when he brought his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, she didn't bother complaining. Just for tonight, she told herself, as sleep started to consume her as quickly as it did Natsu. Just for tonight…